Hi, friends! Neus here, also known as Miss Meissa. You can find me at missmeissa.com and on Instagram @miss.meissa. I'm a lettering artist and teacher and a flower lover and illustrator. I love vibrant colors, empowering messages and art as a means to connect with yourself and feel better. 

Today I'm sharing a tutorial on how to create a cheerful inside cover, especially perfect for the new academic year. You can do the full spread or choose a one page cover. 

Supplies For Your Inspiring Quote

• Archer and Olive Journal. I’m using the Blackout Journal, but you can also choose a white or kraft one. The pages are so thick and smooth that  you can decorate the spread without worrying about any bleeding or ghosting.
• Acrylograph pens.  Great on the Blackout pages, as they are very opaque. I'm using the 0.7mm (Tropical collection + Pink) but you can also use the 3mm for large surfaces. 
• Yellow carbon paper (if you want to trace the sketch) or pencil and eraser to draw it yourself. 

(Feel free to use my affiliate code MISSMEISSA to save money at archerandolive.com).

STEP 1: SKETCH

First decide whether you prefer a one page design or a full spread.

Start by drawing the quote and numbers in the middle of the page. Take your time to locate the position and size (if you want, you can sketch it first on a separate piece of paper or trace the template with carbon paper). 

Once the main element is sketched, draw flowers and branches around it. Don't stress about it, just play around putting flowers here and there. 

STEP 2: LETTERING OUTLINES

Choose the colors you are going to use. In my case two shades of pink and two shades of turquoise/teal, plus white and yellow details. 

Draw the outlines of the letters and numbers with the chosen colors. 

STEP 3: FLOWER OUTLINES

Do the same with the flowers, until you have all the outlines of your sketch drawn. 

You can leave your cover like this if you like it, but I recommend you to continue at least one more step :-)

STEP 4: LETTERING AND NUMBER FILLING

Fill in the letters and numbers with the colors you have chosen. You can size up to a larger tip pen to speed up the process.

If you want to make gradients in the letters you can use the palette and the blender of the acrylographs box to mix the ink of the two markers. You can also apply the darker ink to the palette and pick up with the lighter colored pen. Ink dries quickly, so work with small amounts at a time. 

STEP 5: FLOWER DETAIL

If you want to add detail and more color to the page, you can also fill in the flowers or add paint as strokes. I prefer this second option because it gives more depth to the flowers and allows the letters and numbers to stand out more. 

Simply make strokes on the inside of the flowers following the natural shape of the leaves and petals. You can combine different colors and fills and also add dotted areas imitating a natural flower.

You can correct any small mistakes by painting with a black permanent marker over the paint. But be careful and don't overthink it! 

To complete the image and fill empty spaces you can use small dots in another color or even sparkles if you prefer.

And… ta da!

I'd love to see your version of this cover if you decide to recreate it. Tag me on Instagram @miss.meissa so I can see it. You’ll get the chance to get your recreation featured in my stories! 

Watch a quick video of me making the spread here:

You can even download the printable sketch below and follow along with me!